Jon Cornish

Pro path

Calgary selected Cornish in the second round (13th overall) of the 2006 CFL Canadian Draft and he signed on Apr. 30, 2007.

2015

(Calgary) Cornish has started five games and has rushed 61 times for 325 yards and three touchdowns and has seven catches for 48 yards. He also ran in a two-point convert. He was named a CFL top perfomer in Week 4 when he rushed for 120 yards against Winnipeg. Cornish left the July 24 game in Ottawa at halftime with a broken thumb.

2014

(Calgary) Cornish started nine games and rushed 139 times for 1,082 yards — an average of 7.8 yards per carry — and five touchdowns and caught 18 passes for 133 yards and one touchdown. On Sept. 13, he caught a two-point conversion to tie the game. Despite only playing in nine games, Cornish finished as the league's rushing leader for the third year in a row and did so in the fewest games since the CFL adopted an 18-game schedule in 1986. He cracked the 100-yard mark in six of his nine games and has surpassed the 150-yard mark on four occasions including a season-high 174 yards against Toronto on Sept. 13. He moved into 24th place on the CFL's all-time rushing list on Oct. 18. He passed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the third consecutive year on Nov. 1. He was named the CFL's offensive and Canadian player of the week for his performance in the Labour Day Classic when he rushed for 163 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. The next week he was named Canadian of the week again for the Labour Day Rematch when he carried the ball 17 times for 109 yards and a touchdown. For a third consecutive week, Cornish earned player of the week honours — both offensive and Canadian — when he rushed for 174 yards including a spectacular 79-yard touchdown on what was the longest run of the eight-year veteran’s career. He also had four catches for 35 yards and a touchdown as well as another reception for a two-point convert. He earned Canadian player of the week honours once again in Week 14 for rushing for 156 yards and averaging 7.8 yards per carry. He also contributed three catches for 20 yards. It was the fourth straight game in which he’s surpassed the 100-yard mark and it marked the third time this season he has amassed at least 150 yards on the ground. Cornish doubled up on CFL awards for Week 17 — offensive and Canadian — when he rushed for 160 yards and a touchdown against Winnipeg. Cornish was also named CFL offensive and Canadian player of the month for September. He spent Games 2 and 3 on the one-injury list before being placed on the six-game injury list before Game 4. He was pulled off the six-game injury list early and was back in the line-up for Game 8 in Ottawa. He was on the one-game injury list for Games 12, 16 and 18. Cornish started the Western Final and was the team's leading rusher and receiver, running 14 times for 54 yards and a touchdown and hauling in four catches for 120 yards including a 78-yard touchdown. He also started in the Grey Cup and rushed nine times for 25 yards and caught two passes for 26 yards. Cornish was the Stampeders nominee for Most Outstanding Player and took home the CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian award. He was also voted a West Division all-star and CFL all-star.

2013

(Calgary) Cornish turned in one of the greatest seasons in CFL history in 2013 as he was voted both the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian and won his second consecutive rushing title as he ran for 1,813 yards, the fourth-highest total in CFL history. Cornish also led the league and set a new franchise record with 2,157 yards from scrimmage. He led all running backs with an average of 7.0 yards per carry and was tops in the CFL with 14 touchdowns. His spectacular season featured nine 100-yard games — including five in a row to tie a franchise record — and a career-best 208-yard effort on Oct. 5 against Winnipeg. Cornish was named a West Divison all-star, a CFL all-star and a CFLPA all-star. Over the course of the regular season, Cornish started 17 games and rushed 258 times for 1,813 yards and 12 touchdowns and made 42 catches for 344 yards and two touchdowns. He also started in the Western Final where he rushed nine times for 67 yards and had one reception for nine yards. He earned CFL Canadian player of the week for his performance in Week 1 when he rushed 24 times for 172 yards and two touchdowns and added one catch for 20 yards. He was named both Offensive and Canadian player of the week for Week 7 when he rushed for 175 yards, averaged 10.9 yards per carry and scored four rushing touchdowns in a victory over the Riders. He earned his third top Canadian honour of the season for his performance in the Labour Day rematch. He again earned both CFL offensive and Canadian of the week after racking up a career-best 208 rushing yards and two touchdowns on Oct. 5 against Winnipeg. His fifth Canadian of the week nod came in Week 16 when he ran for 130 yards and one touchdown to lead the Stamps to a 40-26 win over BC. Cornish also had three catches for 35 yards against the Lions. He was named top Canadian for a sixth time Week 17 when he ran for 145 yards on 19 carries — an average of 7.6 yards per rush — and added one catch for 12 yards against Edmonton. During the game, Cornish surpassed 2,000 yards from scrimmage in 2013, joining Willie Burden and Allen Pitts as the only Stampeders to reach that milestone in a season. Week 18 saw Cornish win his seventh top Canadian award when he racked up 109 yards in the Stamps’ victory over the Roughriders and he scored the game-winning touchdown with 1:48 remaining in the contest. He also had two receptions for 12 yards as he broke Willie Burden’s 38-year-old franchise record for most yards from scrimmage in a season. He was named the CFL's Canadian player of the month for June/July, September and October. Cornish was on the reserve list for Game 8 with a thigh injury.

2012

(Calgary) In his first full season as a starter, Cornish ran for 1,457 yards as he won the CFL rushing title and broke Normie Kwong’s 56-year-old single-season rushing record for Canadians. He turned in four games with at least 150 yards over the course of the season, accumulating 170 yards on Aug. 9 in Hamilton, 159 yards at Saskatchewan on Aug. 25, a career-best 185 yards on Sept. 7 in Edmonton and 180 yards in a Sept. 28 home game against the Eskimos. He shared the league lead with 11 rushing touchdowns and was also a threat in the passing game as he had 38 catches for 338 yards and two scores. Cornish was named the CFL’s Canadian player of the month in August, September and October/November. He was also voted Canadian player of the week seven times and offensive player of the week once during the regular season and Canadian player of the week twice more in the playoffs. Cornish’s rushing total was the best in the CFL since 2009, the second-best since 2006 and the seventh-best single-season total in Stampeders’ franchise history. In the post-season, he racked up a combined total of 51 carries for 278 yards — including 100-yard games in both the West semifinal and West final — and three receptions for 58 yards. Cornish was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian and was the West Division finalist for the Most Outstanding Player. He was also selected to the West Division, CFL and CFLPA all-star teams.

2011

(Calgary) Despite not making his first start of the season until Week 13, Cornish led the Stampeders in rushing, was first among all CFL running backs in rushing touchdowns, tied for the league lead in total touchdowns and earned West Division all-star recognition. After being installed as the starter, he ran for 611 yards and seven touchdowns in seven contests. The seven touchdowns were the most of any CFL player during that period and the 611 yards were second only to Toronto’s Cory Boyd. For the season, he posted career high in carries (119), rushing yards (863), rushing touchdowns (nine), catches (26), receiving yards (385) and receiving touchdowns (two). His 7.3-yard-per-carry average led all CFL players with at least 60 rushing attempts. In addition to his excellent work on offence, Cornish was tied for second on the club with 13 special-teams tackles and returned eight kickoffs for 167 yards. Cornish recorded a pair of 100-yard rushing games during the regular season including a career-high 149-yard performance on Oct. 1 against Saskatchewan that resulted in him being named both the top offensive player and top Canadian in the CFL’s player-of-the-week awards. He also ran for 128 yards on Oct. 14 against Toronto — including a career-best 57-yard dash — and again picked up the CFL’s Canadian player of the week honour. He was also named the CFL’s Canadian of the month for September after posting 336 rushing yards, two touchdowns, a 9.9-yard-per-carry average and eight receptions for 166 yards. He picked up more league recognition in the playoffs as he was named the Canadian player of the week after rushing for 127 yards and one touchdown in the West semifinal against Edmonton. Additionally, his team-leading eleven touchdowns were the most by a Canadian Stampeder since 1995. For the second year in a row, Cornish was the Stamps’ nominee for the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian award.

2010

(Calgary) In his fourth season in Calgary, Cornish established a number of career highs and earned the Stampeders’ nomination for the Canadian Football League’s Most Outstanding Canadian award. He played in all 18 regular-season games as well as the West final. His 7.3-yard average per rush was tops in the CFL among running backs, with at least 50 carries and he ran for a career-high 618 yards. He had three carries of at least 50 yards — a 52-yarder against Edmonton on Aug. 15, a 50-yard dash against Saskatchewan on July 24 and another 50-yarder against BC on Aug. 28. He also contributed as a receiver, making 14 catches for 226 yards and one touchdown. On special teams, he made 12 tackles and also returned 12 kickoffs for 224 yards. Cornish twice earned top Canadian honours in the CFL player of the week awards during the 2010 season as he was recognized for his efforts in Week 4 and Week 9.

2009

(Calgary) After suffering an injury during the pre-season, Cornish returned to action in Week 4 and played in the final 15 regular-season games as well as the West semifinal and West final. He once again served as the primary backup at running back and rushed for 105 yards on 20 carries for two touchdowns. Cornish ran for a season-high 43 yards and scored a touchdown in the Sept. 7 Labour Day Classic against Edmonton. He set single-season career highs in receiving with eight receptions for 76 yards and one touchdown. Cornish was also valuable on special teams as he recorded 18 tackles, the second-highest total on the club.

2008

(Calgary) In his second season, Cornish served as the primary backup at running back and played in every game including the West final and Grey Cup. He rushed for 254 yards on 30 carries including a long of 48 yards, all career highs. Among players with double-digit carries, he had the highest yards-per-rush average of any player on the Stamps roster (8.5). He added a pair of receptions for 26 yards. Cornish also recorded his first CFL touchdown when he went 21 yards for a major against BC on Nov. 1. His greatest contribution came on special teams as he led the team with 21 tackles, four more than the next player.

2007

(Calgary) Cornish contributed mainly on special teams and was a disruptive force on the cover units, recording 15 special-teams tackles. He had 10 kickoff returns for 211 yards. Cornish ran 12 yards on his only carry and was credited with an additional 18 rushing yards on a lateral play.

Career highlights

Named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian in 2012, 2013 and 2014

Named the CFL's Most Outstanding Player in 2013

CFL all-star in 2012, 2013 and 2014

CFLPA all-star in 2012 and 2013

2013 Lou Marsh Memorial Trophy winner as Canada’s top athlete

Rushed for more than 100 yards in five straight games in 2013, tying Willie Burden’s franchise record

West Division nominee for the Most Outstanding Player award in 2012 and 2013

Was the West Division nominee for the Most Outstanding Canadian award in 2012, 2013 and 2014

Was Calgary’s nominee for the Most Outstanding Canadian award in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014

Rushed for more than 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons in 2012, 2013 and 2014

Led the league in rushing in 2012 with 1,457 yards, in 2013 with 1,813 yards, which was the fourth-highest total in CFL history and again in 2014 with 1,082 yards

Broke Normie Kwong’s 56-year-old single-season rushing record for Canadians in 2012 and broke his own record again in 2013

Shared the league lead with 11 rushing touchdowns in 2012

Recorded a career-best 185 rushing yards on Sept. 7, 2012, in Edmonton

In his first playoff start, he ran for 127 yards and one touchdown in the 2011 West semifinal against Edmonton

Led all CFL running backs in 2011 with nine rushing touchdowns

Led the Calgary Stampeders in touchdowns with 11 (nine rushing, two receiving) in 2011

Tied with Montreal’s Jamel Richardson for the league lead in 2011 with 11 total touchdowns

West Division all-star in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014

Received two CFL Canadian player of the week during the 2010 season

Received three CFL Canadian player-of-the week honours and one top offensive player award in 2011

Received nine CFL Canadian player of the week awards and one offensive player of the week award in 2012

Received seven CFL Canadian player of the week awards and two offensive player of the week awards in 2013

Received three CFL Canadian player of the week and five offensive player of the week awards in 2014

Received CFL top performer for Week 4 in 2015

Voted the CFL’s top Canadian player of the month for September of 2011

Voted the CFL’s top Canadian player of the month for August, September and October/November in 2012

Voted the CFL's top Canadian player of the month for June/July and September in 2013

Voted the CFL's top player and Canadian of the month for September in 2014

Had a 79-yard run, the longest of his career, on Sept. 13, 2014, against Toronto

Recorded first reception major of career — a 10-yard catch from Henry Burris — on Aug. 1, 2009, against Saskatchewan

Recorded three runs of 50 or more yards in 2010

Member of the 2008 and 2014 Grey Cup-champion Stampeders

Scored first career touchdown against BC on Nov. 1, 2008, on a 21-yard run

Led Stamps in special-teams tackles in 2008 with 21

First CFL rush was a 12-yard gain against Edmonton on Labour Day of 2007

Dressed for first professional game against Hamilton on June 30, 2007

Three-time winner of the Calgary Booster Club’s male athlete of the year award in 2011, 2012 and 2013

Scored four rushing touchdowns against Saskatchewan on Aug. 9, 2013

Rushed for a personal-best 208 yards on Oct. 5, 2013 against Hamilton

Broke Wilile Burden’s 38-year-old record for most yards from scrimmage in a season on Oct. 26, 2013, against the Riders

Surpassed 2,000 yards from scrimmage in 2013, joining Willie Burden and Allen Pitts as the only Stampeders to reach that milestone in a season

College

In 34 games with Kansas, Cornish accumulated 2,242 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 386 carries and had 344 yards and three scores on 51 catches. In his senior year, Cornish finished ninth in Division I and first in the Big-12 Conference with 1,457 yards rushing, a single-season Kansas record. His best performance of 201 rushing yards and two touchdowns came against Kansas State on Nov. 18, 2006. He was a two-time team MVP and was selected to play for the West in the 82nd East-West Shrine game in 2007.

Notable

Cornish was selected as B.C.’s provincial high school football player of the year in 2001. He earned a combined eight letters in football, basketball and track at Saint Thomas More High School. He’s a spokesman for Plan Canada, an organization committed to social justice for children in developing countries.